Send your future kindergartner to school ready to excel with this pre-K program

This paid piece is sponsored by EmBe.

Vicki Ernster is an expert in preparing children for kindergarten.

She started with her own – that was a few decades ago – and since 2009, she has done the same for countless families at EmBe as leader of the KingerCollege program.

“At first, I said we could offer it for 20 kids, and it turned into 30, and they came and asked if we could do 40, and I said that works,” said Ernster, who originally developed and ran the program out of her home.

It’s so popular, this year KinderCollege is expanding to be offered at EmBe’s downtown location as well as at EmBe South located in southwest Sioux Falls.

“We touch on everything they’re going to do in kindergarten, and we start slowly and progress with the child,” Ernster said. “They don’t work together at one time. They work at their pace and level.”

There’s at least one teacher for every 10 students, though normally five staff rotate among the group of 40, she said. The center is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., so but it’s flexible to work with families’ schedules.

Concepts include phonics, reading readiness, relationship-building, social/emotional learning and field trips.

“We do a little work, and then we play, so it’s not just academics. A big part is social skills and etiquette, everything from how we come into the room and greet teachers to how we talk to our friends,” Ernster said.

Children need to be one calendar year away from kindergarten to be a fit for the program, she added.

“We touch on everything they’re going to do in kindergarten, so they’re counting by tens and fives, adding and subtracting, we break down stories and talk about them, and the kids do a lot of drawing to express themselves,” Ernster said.

“A lot of the parents who bring their kids to us are teachers. They want their kids going into kindergarten prepared to excel because there are programs once they get into elementary school that they can enter to continue to get ahead.”

But don’t be intimidated by anything, Ernster added.

“So many panic at first thinking their child won’t be able to do it. But we don’t teach as a group. We teach your child,” she said. “Any child is OK. It doesn’t matter where they come from or what they’re used to, we are going to sit here and work with them because their success is important to us. We’re going to help them do their best. Every child can succeed in their own way, and we want to give them that chance.”

She hopes the pandemic eventually will ease enough for KinderCollege to bring back a popular series of field trips.

“During the school year, all 40 of us would go out to eat to practice social skills, so I’m really hoping we’ll get back to that,” Ernster said.

KinderCollege is intended to be five days per week, and families by the week.

“Structure is how the child can deal with their day,” Ernster added. “We talk to them about what they’re doing next,and they know in the morning what we’re going to do: when it’s outdoor time, when it’s time for a meal and when it’s work time. The structure helps them.”

Financial assistance is available starting this year, she said.

At the new location, 20 students will fill the first class, and there some spots are available. Typically, the first available registration goes to existing EmBe child care families and then opens to the public.

“Normally by March or April, it’s pretty full, so we’re glad to be able to add another location,” Ernster said. “The south location is full, but downtown has a limited number of available spots.”

She is helping train the two teachers who will work with the downtown class. It will be held in a newly renovated part of the building beginning Aug. 30.

“It’s beautiful down there,” she said. “Everything is gorgeous and brand new. And we have two great teachers coming in. They’ve been here working with us, and they have such a nice building, and it’s going to be awesome.”

“The main goal is to make sure when a child walks into kindergarten, there’s self-confidence. It’s a very calm way of teaching, so it comes easy for them, and the worries are gone.”

To learn more about KinderCollege at EmBe, click here.